Shell to power 200MW hydrogen plant with offshore wind farm

British energy giant Shell has signed German engineering firm Thyssenkrupp to build a 200MW hydrogen electrolysis plant in the Port of Rotterdam which, upon operation, will be powered by electricity generated from the 759MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm.

Shell announced this week that it had signed a supply contract with hydrogen engineering firm Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers – a joint venture between Thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions and Industrie De Nora – for the company’s planned Hydrogen Holland I.

The deal will see Thyssenkrupp engineer, procure, and fabricate a 200MW hydrogen electrolysis plant based on the company’s large-scale 20MW alkaline water electrolysis module.

Construction work on the first electrolysers is expected to begin sometime during the Northern Hemisphere’s Spring and will rely only partly on Shell’s final investment decision (FID) to build Holland Hydrogen I, which is expected some time during the year.

If all proceeds as expected, first hydrogen production could be expected as soon as 2024.

“We are looking forward to support building a major hydrogen hub in central Europe and to contribute to Europe’s transition to green energy,” said Christoph Noeres, head of green hydrogen at Thyssenkrupp Uhde Chlorine Engineers.

“With our large-scale standard module size, we will further strengthen Shell’s hydrogen strategy. Our partnership perfectly combines our engineering excellence with Shell’s competence of a large global energy player.”

Hydrogen Holland I will be built at the Port of Rotterdam in a massive facility covering 2 hectares, with hydrogen produced for industry and the transport sector.

Electricity to power the hydrogen electrolysis will be supplied from the 759MW Hollandse Kust Noord offshore wind farm through the use of guarantee of origin energy certificates.

Hydrogen produced from the facility will be transported along a 40km pipeline that will run from the Hydrogen Holland I production facility to Shell’s Energy and Chemicals Park in Rotterdam.

Shell took a final investment decision on the Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam in September 2021, which is expected to deliver up to 820,000-tonnes per year worth of biofuels, making it one of the biggest such facilities in Europe to produce sustainable aviation fuel and renewable diesel made from waste.

“Shell has been on the road to a lower-carbon future for some time,” said Marjan van Loon, President Director of Shell Netherlands BV, speaking last year.

“This investment is an important step as we transform the Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam from a traditional refinery into a sustainable energy park. The project will mean hundreds of millions of dollars of investment each year during construction, it will create hundreds of jobs, and help to maintain the facility’s competitiveness for years to come.”

The Energy and Chemicals Park Rotterdam will also be built with net zero as a priority, including the use of reusable construction materials and solar panels incorporated into the outside walls of the facility.